OMG...building permit sticker shock!!!

[Tailrace]

My wife went to the building dept. today to get a permit for our pellet stove install, and when she told me how much it cost I durn near fell over.......$200.00
What have you paid for yours, have any of you ever paid even close to that amount? I'm still in disbelief!

 

[Rhone]

Mine was $35 if I recall.

My permit is $30 for anything installed that's $2000 or less. For every $1000 more add on $5. Since my unit was $2,800 permit total was $35. I burn wood though, don't believe pellet different.

 

[tinkabranc]

wow! The permit for our pellet stove was only $40.00 for residential.

 

[Tailrace]

I was hoping my wife misunderstood them....until I called a buddy of mine who installed a wood stove in his house last year and his permit was $150, not only is that highway robbery but it went UP $50 in one year.....still sitting here in dis-belief

 

[Corey]

Sad part is, it's probably not the guy who is going to all the trouble to get the permit that really needs one. It's the guys setting the stove on the living room carpet and using aluminum dryer duct poking through a hole in the window that needs the permit / inspection.

 

[BrotherBart]

Time to call County Executive Diana's office and raise hell.

 

[nshif]

Try building a house in Ca. I just paid almost 8K and now its up to 20K I hear. thankfully the stove was included in that.

 

[Tailrace]

Time to call County Executive Diana's office and raise hell.

That sounds good to me....my buddy in the next town over paid $65 for his....sumptin aint right!

 

[BrotherBart]

Time to call County Executive Diana's office and raise hell.

That sounds good to me....my buddy in the next town over paid $65 for his....sumptin aint right!

It can get results. Fast. I was a county government department head and they hated citizens asking for results. It cut into the time for long meetings discussing the county employee health insurance plan. And that is no joke.

Wanna see some action. Send them a Freedom of Information Act request asking for a list of prices charged for each wood stove and pellet stove installation for the last two years. :coolgrin: The world stops spinning for a FOIA request. Sections of the act carry specific performance deadlines and individuals can be held criminally liable.

 

[webbie]

Ha, here is Taxachuttsetts we are for the people - I think it was $25 or so for mine! Heck, it didn't cost me $200 for my entire shop addition!

You are getting ripped......

 

[elkimmeg]

boy do I wish I got paid that much for an inspections I get paid $30 per inspection the permit cost $35 Nationally the are laws that the municipalities can only charge for service rendered

You could challnange those fees an win every time in court. I doubt the inspector doing the pellet stove inspection 600% more than I am I wonder if he is holds the Boca certification as being both a Building inspector and a Mechanical inspector?

 

[Tailrace]

Wanna see some action. Send them a Freedom of Information Act request asking for a list of prices charged for each wood stove and pellet stove installation for the last two years. :coolgrin: The world stops spinning for a FOIA request. Sections of the act carry specific performance deadlines and individuals can be held criminally liable.[/quote]Thanks, now do I send that to the county executive or to the town? I know that I, along with the rest of the people in this town, are getting ripped off by these crooks and I'm ready to send the FOIA toot sweet!

 

[Tailrace]

boy do I wish I got paid that much for an inspections I get paid $30 per inspection the permit cost $35 Nationally the are laws that the municipalities can only charge for service rendered

You could challnange those fees an win every time in court. I doubt the inspector doing the pellet stove inspection 6005 more than I am I wonder if he is holds the Boca certification as being both a Building inspector and a Mechanical inspector?

Do I have to challenge the fees before I pay them, or can I do it afterwards? It makes me sick every time I hear the furnace fire up, and i need to get my stove installed as soon as possible. Between a rock and a hard place...that's me.

 

[BrotherBart]

Send the FOIA to the county if they are the one issuing the permit, otherwise to the town manager if the town is doing it.

Sending to the wrong one gives them lots of stalling room.

 

[Gooserider]

Gee, and I felt mildly ripped off that I had to pay $50 for getting two stoves inspected on the same trip.... ($25 each) I had zero issues on either install, as I had been reading all the advice here and did what was suggested, however I won't say that I particularly felt inspected either - no measurements were taken, though it was pretty obvious I had enough clearances, and I just told him what I had done with enough detail and references to make it clear that I had done my homework.

In terms of the OP's inspection costs - it might be more politic to get the inspection first and have them sign things off, as raising heck could result in one of those "we stop looking when we find a reason to say no" type inspections. Once you have a sign-off you can still cause the powers that be a headache, and they have far less in the way of potential recourse.

Gooserider

 

[babalu87]

That is a sad reflection of society really, they know more will be installing them and put the screws to them.

 

[BrotherBart]

Gotta disagree Goose. Take it head on right now before any inspector or personalities are involved. This way you are fighting the policy, not an individual.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If I remember right, it was $40 for anything $1000 and under. I went just over 1K on my hearth and chimney, but the inspector didn't ask for recipts.

Matt

 

[WILDSOURDOUGH]

A permit to install a stove ? "No such thing here, install away" they say. (Town Clerk)
Year two of building our home- Think I paid $135.00 for building permit, including 3 car garage.
Never have seen the building inspector- ever ! Figure, if that don't come- I won't bother to call them. Works out well.
Next 'town' down has a 'occupancy permit' - don't have one of those either- been in this house for a year and a half- can't kick us out now.
Now, the survey and subdivision of the property- that cost some $$$

 

[Harley]

$200??? that's unbelievable I just checked (but I thought I was right).... 15 bucks for the permit... and that's in Massachusetts

 

[elkimmeg]

here is the story some might not want to be told. Permit fees have to equal service rendered Get a hold of you town annual report. (your library probably has a copy)
look up the inspections dept and check out the salaries of the inspectors employed divide that out to 40 hour weeks to obtain a rough idea id services rendered.
during the past building boom all building depts made surplus money the collected more money than inspections rendered. Well it all came to a head in the neighboring towm when the regional JR high expanded the host town charged way too much for the permits naturally the two other towns questioned the fees and backed the host town down but still they were not offering the services or inspections that matched the fee fast forward 2 years the regional highschool in my town had a much larger addition permit fees based per thousand cost and who complains the loudest the town that just took advantage of the situation 2 years prior. We had to back down and reduce the fees Building depts do not set the fees they are approved by the town councils or selectmen. Not by the inspections dept They are approved by the very people you elected to be selectmen You approved the fees That's right indirectly you approved the fees

The surplus monies go into the general fund and finance other needs in the total budget.. Say a couple police cruisers an additional teacher or two. computers for the elementary school

Most of the time builder just pay figuring it into the cost of the job or an expense of doing business and the tax payers are more than happy to receive this surplus money. In a way it reduces your tax burden or provides you more or better services. Remember this when you raise holly hell about your fee remember as a voter you have a say who is elected and they approve the fees. So when you complain about the fees set by people you voted for think for a minute. If successful and you bring down the system and end up costing ever resident more taxes to augment the lost revenues, you will not be one popular guy. . Like many post here I present food for thought, those fees are ridiculous.

 

[BrotherBart]

I used to think some of that way too Elk. Until I showed up for work at one. And when things happened like getting an emergency call into a meeting with the top dogs turned out to be a meeting to tell me to add two new headcount to my budget request that I didn't want or need and to add a third to my operating expense budget projection that I didn't want or need.

Nope. My illusions of how it works are none.

 

[Hogwildz]

Mine cost..................................................
NADA, ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NONE, NOTHING!!
STICK IT TO DA MAN!

 

[TMonter]

No permit here either. My insurance inspector checked to see if things were to code and signed off for my homeowners insurance. I'm not in the city limits though.

 

[tutu_sue]

Let's see I paid $134.00 for the permit. Then they added $800 to our building assessment for the stove - will be paying for that stove as long as we live here...